3/3/12…Folk Medicine For The New Depression @ Cherrywood Coffeehouse

And there I thought I was going to see Chris Petkus tonight. Well, things turned out a bit differently. My nights never seem to go as planned and that’s ok. lol So the first thing I noticed about Cherrywood was its itty bitty parking lot. It was full, so I actually had to park on the residential street right across the way. Not a big deal. At least I had somewhere to park. As I was walking into the joint, I spotted a cute grey kitty in the parking lot. Awww…I wonder if he belongs to the Coffeehouse or if he was just a random stray. I knew once I got inside I wanted to eat; but I kinda looked around a bit, especially because I heard music right away, so I had to track it down. There’s a small side room with some seating and that’s where the 3-piece jazz band was set up. I scoped out a table and then went back to the counter to order my food. I looked around at the main room a bit. It was filled with what seemed to be students. This is definitely UT territory. I saw lots of singles and laptops…probably doing homework. Cherrywood has an extensive drink menu (coffee, wine, & beer) and a full menu of food. They actually serve breakfast all day. I ordered a burger and a coke (I got a bottle…love that) and walked back into the side room and lo & behold someone had stolen “my table” outright! Curses!! The only table open was right in front of the stand-up bassist.

Stand Up Bass in my face @ Cherrywood Coffeehouse

He had his cappuccino on the table, but I wasn’t afraid to share some space. I’ve never had the opportunity to be so close to a bass player. It was so cool that I had to take a picture of it and share with everyone. From this vantage point I also got to see that the drummer was playing in his socks. I love musicians’ little quirks. The third member of this trio rounded out the sound on electric guitar. They were definitely more of a fusion jazz band. They were pretty good. I got into it a little. I figured out that Chris Petkus was at the table next to me. It seems that he hosts this particular show, “Folk Medicine For The New Depression”, and invites other musicians to play the evening. I’m guessing he headlines, but I didn’t get to see him play as I left before he went on. I wish that Cherrywood would have a more detailed listing regarding who’s playing because I would’ve come later had I known that Chris was going on later. They had him listed at 7:00 pm. Oops…not quite. After the jazz trio played, another female artist, Rebecca Ramirez, was setting up, so I figured that while I was still enjoying my delicious burger (they have amazing buns here) I would hang out a little longer. By the way, the trio never even said who they were, so I have no idea if they’re a true band or just three random guys playing together. Anyway, Rebecca really seemed to like the color red. She had on a multi-colored red, green, yellow, & black fluffy skirt with red boots, she played a red ukulele, and even buzzed on a red kazoo. During her first song, I could already tell that I wasn’t a fan of her voice. But I gave her one last shot. When I saw her pull out the kazoo, I got a bit worried. It came off as a bit gimmicky. In my opinion, she is more of a performance artist, as opposed to a musical performer. Everything she did, her voice, her movement, her red-ness, all seemed a little over the top. So, I got up to take one last look around at the Coffeehouse. I walked back out to the main room and took a look at their adorable deck. How great it must be to hang out here during the day and when it’s warm out. Really cute!! I dug this place a lot. It has good food, a good vibe, and friendly staff. I would love to come back again and check out what else they have to offer…and maybe even hear Chris Petkus.